A New Tool for Type Designers: TypeBridge

Hi. I just wanted to comment in regards to the folks who were having difficulty with the transfer between Illustrator and TypeTool/FontLab. The way that FontLab works is logical, given that in font world there are no decimal numbers. However, for folks who are very comfortable in Illustrator, it would be nice to have a tool that automatically rounds all points (which have already been drawn) to whole points while keeping the integrity of the font.

But I once drew a typeface, and when I discovered the way FontLab works, I had to go in and move each anchor (ones that resulted from effects, rounding, etc). I had set up the grip as directed by FontLab, but that doesn't cover you in all situations.

So I have created a script that takes care of the non-integer anchors. If you have already drawn your typeface, or don't want to be too concerned with snapping while illustrating, this Illustrator script will be perfect for you. It automatically rounds all selected anchors to the closest whole integer, whether that means up or down. With a standard UPM of 1000, the tweaking is hardly noticeable. With a higher value for more precision, the tweaking would be nearly impossible to see. However, it makes it so that your art transfers perfectly into FontLab/TypeTool. I know there are some purists who will object, but to those of us who are very comfortable in Illustrator, this is an invaluabale tool, I believe.